Sunday, September 25, 2016

All this week, I ended up getting rides to and
from work, mainly because despite the fact that my left foot isn't constantly
in pain( though it still often is )it's still complaining whenever I do
more than walk from my desk to the break room in back again which precludes me
walking to or from work. It's going to be weeks or months before I can just
shrug on a loaded backpack and stroll out the door at a fast clip for work
without a second thought about my tendons complaining.

Not to mention the related complications from my
awkward positioning while resting on the couch at home when I was off for three
weeks in August. Sitting and standing as often as I did, in an awkwardly
painful way I discovered muscles I never knew I had.

However, it's not all marginal news.

I may end up with this magnificent-yet-cheap-setup someday...

Burning pain has given way to soreness which has
faded to discomfort and new twinges over time, all while I'm stretching
carefully all day long - not much, just a cm or two every hour, while flexing
just inside the twinge threshold.

Work's been manageable( as I write this for a
Monday entry, on a Sunday, thinking back over the week )as I've cobbled
together a 'standing desk' which consists of boxes stuffed under my mouse and
keyboard, with my monitors tilted back - it works. I alternate every hour
between sitting and standing, and all the while I'm reading my new copy of Deskbound(
more on that later )which is a heavy read. I'm considering making a
sturdier, but still cheap, standing desk along the lines of the one in the
image above, per these instructions.

Life goes on, if you can stand it: don't take it
sitting down.

Sept 20 – New Girl For All Time?

This show's really been growing on me...

I don't know if it's the characters, the sharp
situational writing, or the fact that it's not a laugh track from the 1990s,
but New Girl's become a favorite though admittedly it's difficult to
watch on account that I don't have able tell.

Currently more than a few people at the same, as New
Girl has climbed the charts the last few years become one of the most
popular sitcoms out there. As this lengthy but revealing multi-season review points out, New Girl's popularity can be summed up in one word: adorkable.

I like that the cast fits their roles so nicely,
in that they're real people but without nasty hangups like other shows that
feel the need to exploit for shock value... but which also cheapen the show as
time goes on, going from shock to shock. Seeing characters get into situations
that arise from their own were likely and how they try to get out of them is
the essence of situational comedy( sitcoms )and New Girl has honed their
writing of these situations to a T. None of the characters try to wriggle out
of blame for their decisions, so their honesty helps bolster the show.

I admire honesty, both in writing and in person: well done!

Sept 21 – Anxiety, Animated

I'm not a visual artist, but if I was I would
definitely have drawn this: all sorts of images of anxiety, of what it's like
to experience the feeling and how it affects your life. The similarities to my
own situation this last year are eerie in some cases, and while I'm happy that
I didn't end up experiencing things akin to most of these images, the rest hit
all too close to home.

It's good to bring these sorts of things up,
because most people don't want to share these things, due to feelings of embarrassment
or inadequacy. I learned, however, years ago that there's nothing shameful
about having stress build up in your life without dealing with it somehow...
and talking works, to be blunt. As well, if you( like me )suddenly have panic attacks happening, then you need to
sit down and examine the deeper why of it, otherwise you'll just
keep having them... or worse.

Myself, I'd rather ask questions of myself, and
find ways to deal with the answers.

Sept 22 –
Point Taken, Well done!

Finally, a home run!

My last for acupuncture sessions haven't done
much to alleviate my tendon discomfort for more than a few hours, so tonight's
session( via bus trip )was going to be the last for a while, as my
5-for-the-price-of-4 discount card was due to run out.

I had a new acupuncturist this evening, and the
work he did was amazing!

My sessions have been about an hour, and while
tonight was no different, when I left I immediately felt the difference: I
could walk( albeit gingerly )without
pain! Me being me, I didn't immediately
dance a jig, but I did test things a bit by not relying on my cane nearly as
much for each step and judging the results.

Don't do this.

Tonight must have been a charmed one for me, as I
then hopped( so to speak )the bus to the local grocery store, where I
flitted about efficiently to gather a number of sale items( the only way to
shop! )and made it back to the bus stop with perfect timing... where the same
bus driver complimented me on my ability to get around despite my cane in
hand atop the notable load of groceries I was carrying.

I just smiled and told him that I was a firm
believer in acupuncture.

Sept 23 – Social RPG?

Speaking of being social...

Everybody busy these days, myself as well, but
unfortunately busy does not include getting out and doing things as much
the last few months.

Apart from being a shut-in for most of the last
month due to my recent injury, I really haven't been getting out much apart
from time spent with my girlfriend. It occurs to me that while I have a good
number of friends here in Victoria, I don't actually see most of them more than
once a month or so.

I remember being far more social 20 years ago,
especially when I was in high school and then later in university. Many of the
good times I had were spent playing games with my friends, especially RPG's,
which is kind of ironic, I know, as role-playing games aren't exactly high on
people social lists.

Which is why was surprised to find out things
have been changing in that realm the last two years: role-playing games have
moved from the realm of social pariahs to acceptable behavior across a wide
range of social circles.

How the die has shifted!

Dungeons & Dragons especially has enjoyed a recent renaissance, as I mentioned a few blog posts ago, from the elite of Hollywood
right on down to local gamers... which, to be fair, never really stopped
embracing it - but are doing so far more openly now. I'm glad to see that more people
are interested now in story rather than the competitive or twitch-fest
aspects of gaming, like Xbox or the like.

That's all I've got for now.

Sept 24 – Royals Visit Vic

A whole lot of hubbub around these parts, today,
all because Prince William and family are visiting Canada and starting off
right here in Victoria.

Why all the fuss?

Well, Victoria is well-known for being a very
British city( even apart from being named
after a famous Royal )and while there's not Monarchist clubs on every
corner here, there is a lot of inherited sentimental love of the Crown.

Also, it's kinda
cool to have celebrities in town, I won't deny.

That said, I didn't bother trying to be close to
the ruckus, due to my lack of mobility and a general dislike of crowds for
crowd's sake: no thanks. Instead, I queued up GlobalNews online and watched the proceedings with half an eye
while doing other things. Sure, it was neat to see the Legislature where I've
walked all dolled up and the lawn covered with admirers waving flags... but
that's about it.

Unusually, I did manage to capture the motorcade
as it arrived, as for some reason they decided that MY street was the perfect
route for them to take to get to the ceremonies at the Legislature:

Note: I thought it'd be funny if I modified the video a little for size... cute!

I guess what's neat about having celebrities
visit is that you get to rub shoulders with a little bit of fame, however
earned, in a familiar setting. I equate it to touching the shoulder of someone
considered lucky, in order to transfer a little of that love to yourself, One's
proximity to fame is often fleeting however, and I'd much prefer to be the
person who's earned theirs rather than inherited it.

It should be noted that in no way would I want to
rub shoulders with the likes of anyone named Kardashian... or Justin Bieber for
that matter. I will admit that I do have a long list of royal descendants, but
I have no interest in exploiting that fact, apart from knowing that all those
before me managed to achieve quite a lot of things in their lives, and I can
use such to inspire my own doings.

So far, the motorcade's driven past my place twice,
which I find amusing...

Sept 25 – Doubt

Who the heck is reading this blog anyway,
and why my writing?

Every year or so, I ruminate on these questions,
and every year I conclude that in the main I'm writing for myself first, then
for my audience, which varies week to week. Of the 70 people have listed in my
blog group, anywhere from 20 to 30 check-in every week to read the new entries
- thanks, folks!

Stats-wise, this blog gets about 6000 pageviews a
year, which translates roughly to 500 views a month( half of which can be
attributed to random Internet searches and bots )leaving the other half for
my friends and family who visit. As I've said before, if I'd wanted to monetize
this blog, it would make around two dollars a month, which is negligible enough
that I haven't bothered all these years of writing.

This blog is here for you, the reader, to check
in on what I'm up to, on what's in my head and my heart and why think it
matters enough to write it down here.

So, thanks for being here, whenever you happen to
drop by.

That's all I have for this blog entry, the
earliest yet this year at 6pm PST: I'm done. For the rest of the evening, I'll
be reading, NOT thinking about how the rest of 2016 is supposed to go( WRITE!
MAKE MONEY! GET HEALTHY! )and just enjoy the last few hours before bed... as
the Royal motorcade rumbles past my front windows for the THIRD time this
weekend. You'd think they were driving by just to see ME at this rate...